Profane

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈfeɪn/

Definitions

1. Relating to matters that are not sacred or religious, or showing disrespect for religious beliefs through irreverent language or behavior
2. Connected with secular rather than religious aspects ; demonstrating contempt for holy or sacred things, often through language or actions
3. Pertaining to worldly, non-spiritual concerns ; expressing irreverence or rudeness toward religious or sacred subjects

Etymology: Latin "profanus" literally meant "outside the temple." It combined "pro-", meaning "before" or "in front of," with "fanum," a sacred place or temple, so anything "profane" stood outside the sacred precinct. A profane thing was simply ordinary, not holy, and the word carried no insult at first. The sense of disrespect came later. Once something was separated from the sacred, treating it casually or using it irreverently became a natural extension, and English adopted the word from Middle French in the Middle English period with both senses available. The verb followed the same path, borrowed from Middle French "profaner" and built on the Latin "profanare," meaning to desecrate or to make something common.

Synonyms: irreverent, blasphemous, sacrilegious, impious, disrespectful

Antonyms: sacred, holy, pious, reverent, devout